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October 30, 2006
"Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk
You can’t say he doesn’t warn you. The very first sentence goes, “If you’re going to read this, don’t bother.” Why not? “What you’re getting here is a stupid story about a stupid little boy,” and “There has to be something better on television.”
Well, that last part probably isn’t true; otherwise, it’s a fair warning. Palahniuk, best known as the author of what became the movie Fight Club, gives us a disturbing look at that stupid little boy’s later life: he is a sexaholic who makes money by pretending to choke on his dinner in a new restaurant each night.
Yet Palahniuk’s work, while full of the disgusting and seemingly senseless destruction, is ultimately about redemption—he’s a cynic, he sees the grotesque, and he finds a way for his characters to overcome it. This isn’t a pretty story, but underneath it all, this is a beautiful story.
ISBN: 0385720920
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2006
"In the Shadow of No Towers" by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is one of my favorite cartoonists because he never flinches. The man developed a comic book about the Holocaust, and Maus became a cultural icon by helping children understand the horror we can inflict upon one another. So who better to commemorate our generation’s defining act of terror, the attacks of September 11, 2001?
No Towers is a tortured book, reflecting Spiegelman’s own struggle to accept and understand these events. It is a personal essay in pictures, recounting his thoughts and actions on and after 9/11. This means the story is about Spiegelman, as much as 9/11, and to help us understand him, Spiegelman includes a short history of the funny papers as an appendix. Still, the levity this provides does not completely counter the crushing weight of loss No Towers conveys. As we reach the fifth anniversary of these horrible events, In the Shadow of No Towers is a powerful memorial and reminder of what we have lost.
ISBN: 0670915416
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2006
"Search Engine Visibility" by Shari Thurow
Admit it, by now you've Googled yourself (If you haven't, go to Google and run a search on your name. I'll wait.). It's interesting to see how the world sees us: is the top result you? Are you even on the first page?
Do you want to be? Sheri Thurow is a search engine marketer, and she can help. Her book Search Engine Visibility is straight-forward, crisp, and practical. In it, she provides enough basic theory for context, so one need never ask 'why'. From her five rules of web design to her search engine and directory submission checklists, her advice is clear and easy to follow. Thurow covers improving site visibility at two points: building new pages, and improving existing ones. Along the way she provides examples from her own portfolio as illustrations, and clear explanation of both the techniques to use and the reasons behind them. Her list of website resources is also very nice.
To sum up, the key to a good search engine raking is building a good website. Design with the user in mind, providing quality content and simple navigation, and the spiders will reward you. As Thurow says, "building a site for your target audience and following search engine best practices is one of the most cost-effective components of a search engine marketing campaign".
ISBN: 0735712565
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2006
"The Partly Cloudy Patriot" by Sarah Vowell
With the congressional elections drawing near, people may be getting sick of hearing about politics. Vowell's book is a breath of fresh air on this topic. Her perspective as a 30-something liberal urbanite is what you'd expect, but she gets her point across in a very non-offensive and humorous way.
It's a fun, quick read, and will make you think about patriotism and what it means to be an American today.
ISBN: 0743243803
Amanda, reference & instruction
Posted by jnardine at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2006
"The Colorado Kid" by Stephen King
Hard Case Crime is a new publisher working in an old field: their books are designed to revive the dark detective stories of 1940s pulp fiction, like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. So far—and The Colorado Kid is only the thirteenth title—they have done this well. The books are cheap, with flashy cover art, and include new novels from original masters, a choice republication or two, and work from new artists in the old style.
Stephen King doesn’t fit any of these categories, but the world’s best selling fiction writer is no stranger to the mass market format—or to murder. What makes his contribution special, however, is that The Colorado Kid is a brand-new piece, first published here in a niche paperback: King usually gets the royal hardcover treatment for new books. Otherwise, this is pretty much what you expect from him: a compelling story told very well. It is a frame story, told to an intern at a small-town newspaper on a slow summer afternoon, and describes events long past but as yet unexplained. This detachment keeps it from being scary, but still manages to provide plenty of suspense: it’s a mystery, not horror, and it is a quick, fun read.
ISBN: 0843955848
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2006
"Undead and Unpopular" by Mary Janice Davidson
MJ Davidson's "Undead and ..." series is a nice, light read. After all, how can a newly minted vampire queen named Elizabeth Taylor - Betsy to her friends- with a shoe fetish be anything less than entertaining. This book, the 5th in the series, is readable in and unto itself but I recommend starting at the beginning of the series and taking it sequentially so that you'll get all the humor.
Betsy is turning 31, or she would be if she were still alive, and she's trying to plan her own surprise birthday party, give up drinking blood (because it's "icky"), and organize her upcoming wedding to her consort, the "yummy" Eric Sinclair. A delegation of European vampires arrive on the scene at about the same time that Betsy figures out that her best friend is seriously ill. Throw in a zombie in the attic and a local vamp who is hell-bent on killing the member of the European contingent who first turned her, and a lot of fun, chaos and confusion ensue.
As a stand-alone, this entry in the series isn't as action-packed as some of the previous novels. Instead it focuses more on relationships among the central group of characters. Unfortunately, deep, meaningful character development would go against the general grain of Anderson's humorous storytelling style and break up the feel of the series. Anderson does a great job of sticking with her strengths and keeping up snappy dialog, but the result is that not much happens. In short, it's not the strongest of the set, but still well worth reading.
ISBN: 0425210294
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)